iPhone 16e Sales Lag Behind SE Models Despite Bestseller Status

[rembert]

Bring back the mini with a lower price to compete with the “e” version. Oh, and MagSafe too.

I don’t even care about “a lower price” that much, as long as it’s a mini.

OTOH my 13 mini is still going strong. Don’t feel I’m missing out, this phone seems near perfect. Don’t want anything bigger, a bit smaller would actually be much appreciated.

 

[WB2Colorado]

Not really surprising when you can get mid-range phones from Google, Motorola and Samsung that have better features for less money.

 

[UliBaer]

(...) OTOH my 13 mini is still going strong. Don’t feel I’m missing out, this phone seems near perfect. Don’t want anything bigger, a bit smaller would actually be much appreciated.

THAT, but unfortunately it will still take a little longer for the market to realize that.

 

[t0rqx]

This was already expected by the Macrumors core members.

 

[WelshBadger]

I'm still rocking an old SE, I'll hold on to it as long as I can. I always buy the cheapest iPhone I can when my old one dies, the jump in specs is always more than I need. A phone for me is purely a communication tool.

I specifically upgraded my SE-4G to an SE-5G last November because I knew they were discontinuing the SE. But The 5G has all I need, and is the size I want. I have a 12 from work, and honestly I still prefer my SE. I tried using the 12, but it's just that little bit too big, I love the home button, and there's nothing it does that I don't have on my SE. And my SE was not much over £450.

 

[Johnny907]

Well yeah, what's the point when you can buy a 14 that isn't gimped like this excuse for a half baked AI trojan horse?

 

[Veinticinco]

Sales lag you say?

Is anyone actually surprised? A massive fail by Apple, the 16e will be quickly consigned to history alongside its alphabetical predecessor, the 5c.

 

[TgeekB]

Ahh, the usual doom and gloom on macforums. 😂

 

[turbineseaplane]

Ahh, the usual doom and gloom on macforums. 😂

Hey, we didn't write the story!

 

[TgeekB]

Hey, we didn't write the story!

True, nor do we get credit for the success of the story. I remember purchasing the first iPhone. Apple was “wrong” back then for creating a phone without a physical keyboard. I guess the story never changes. 😉

 

[Leon Nash]

Good grief man. Do some proper reporting: the 16e starts at € 599,17


View attachment 2516038

749,00 euro here in the north.

 

[ThomasJL]

I would’ve purchased an iPhone 16e if it had the same main camera as the flagship model. The iPhone SE (1st generation) had a starting price of $399 and had the same main camera as the then-latest flagship iPhone 6s. Tim Cook chose to give the iPhone 16e a lower-quality main camera with a smaller sensor than the flagship iPhone 16 Pro’s main camera. And to add insult to injury, he raised the starting price to $599.

Cook likes to give customers less and less for their money. That would be bad enough if he kept prices the same. But what makes it even worse is that when he gives customers less than before, he actually raises prices. If you’re interested in seeing proof of that, then watch the video in the first post of the thread linked below:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/video-exposing-tim-cooks-anti-consumer-decisions.2457033/

 

[Johnny Applesuede]

It makes sense to me.
1. It’s too expensive.
2. It’s too big.
3. It has a notch.
4. Instead of moving Touch ID to the power button, they added Face ID.

If they kept the price lower, moved to the Mini form factor (which would have increased screen size while decreasing external dimensions), added the iPad Mini’s Touch ID Power button, and had a smaller display holepunch to accommodate the facetime camera, it would have been an instant purchase from me.

 

[nutmac]

I'm sure iPhone 26e will fix that.

Actually, iPhone 26e would likely fix it. In true Tim Cook fashion, iPhone 16e will likely remain in the lineup but be priced at $499.

 

[urnotl33t]

Very shortsighted. Apple makes the real money on recurring subscriptions, not hardware. You can definitely argue that a shrinking device market share directly equates to a shrinking subscription services base which will upend their entire business model if it continues.

Additionally, you need to include the lost revenue from potential follow on peripheral purchases like watches, AirPods, etc. that will never happed with those 200,000 lost customers in your theoretical. The iPhone is the gateway into apple’s ecosystem - lose a phone customer, the whole business model takes a hit.

Can confirm.

My 2016 SE can’t run new AirPods (I had first gen until they died), Apple Watches (I had a series 3 until it died, even after years of life support), and certainly no other new accessories. I’ve bought zero iPhone accessories since then.

Apple needs to make an iPhone body shell that’s designed properly like they did pre-iPhone 6. Move the idiotic sleep/siri/side button back to the top, stop the lunatic camera warts, and keep the squared shell they reverted back to since the iPhone 12. Make phones, not phablets. Or at least include a non-phablet model. I didn’t buy the 12 or 13 mini because of these remaining issues I refuse to compromise.

Apple has been known to defy physics in the past. Now they’ve gotten lazy. They can do it. They just choose not to.

 

[urnotl33t]

I think it funny that people can't see how much money Apple is making of this phone.

Yes that’s true, but what’s more funny is that Apple can’t see how much they’re losing the plot. By “funny”, I mean “pathetic”.

 

[antonrg]

It’s priced at 719€ and not 699€ in France and Germany and most of Western Europe…

 

[Hank001]

Uhm, 699 € is more like $799.

749,00 euro here in the north.

It’s priced at 719€ and not 699€ in France and Germany and most of Western Europe…

Your prices include VAT. But the author of this article compares US price, $599 excluding VAT by European prices, including VAT. I guess the author doesn't read Apple's website outside of apple.com.

So:
US $599 excluding state tax (≈ €526)
FR €594 excluding 21% VAT
DE €568 excluding 19% VAT
HU €577 excluding 27% VAT

 

[Kiwamu]

It’s priced at 719€ and not 699€ in France and Germany and most of Western Europe…

On Apple's website the base (128gb) iPhone 16e starts at 699,00 € in Germany (incl. VAT). I just checked...

That being said, the price was def. a reason, including the additional ~130 € for the 256 GB model, that I did not upgrade from my 13mini.

 

[Jeeve Stubbs]

I think the form factor may play a role in lackluster results here. I have an iPhone SE 3, and honestly, I don't know if I'll upgrade to 16e because it's significantly larger. I like my smaller phone and wish Apple had kept it this way, as people who like larger phones already have many options.

 

[Jeeve Stubbs]

On Apple's website the base (128gb) iPhone 16e starts at 699,00 € in Germany (incl. VAT). I just checked...

That being said, the price was def. a reason, including the additional ~130 € for the 256gb model, that I did not upgrade from my 13mini.

It's 256 GB, not gb (G = giga, B = byte, g = gram, b = bit)

 

[Godspeed8230]

It's 256 GB, not gb (G = giga, B = byte, g = gram, b = bit)

You must be fun at parties

 

[Kiwamu]

It's 256 GB, not gb (G = giga, B = byte, g = gram, b = bit)

You must be fun at parties

Still fixed it!

 

[StevieD100]

I'm delaying upgrading because of the lack of TouchID. I prefer that to FaceID.
The old SE was perfect in size for me. I hate large phones which by the way are a huge target for street theives.

 

[arobert3434]

Is this really a surprise? Apple launched a “budget” iPhone at $599

Not $599 in Europe, and in fact a full $850 (€749) in my country. At this price, even if I were the target market for this phone (*) I would opt to spread costs over a year longer and get a normal one.

* A phone having as one of its main compromises the camera system is a non-starter for me.